Monday Mixtape: Justice Tripp of Angel Du$t
Aaron Neville, Merauder, Blaze Foley, and more
Monday Mixtape is another path towards music discovery, featuring people whose taste I admire answering a series of questions and prompts with songs (which might change from time to time).
Justice Tripp is the songwriter, vocalist, and general creative engine of Angel Du$t, one of the more exciting bands out there right now . He hails from Baltimore, where he formed his previous band, Trapped Under Ice (“hardcore in its truest form” as per Militarie Gun’s Ian Shelton) in 2007 and I believe he’s currently involved in like eight active music projects (not fact checking this, going off pure vibes here). It’s clear from catching one Angel Du$t live show that this man has an excess of libido for music, art, and honestly, dancing. Frankly, it’s hard not to dance to Angel Du$t. The music doesn’t just bend genre, it refracts it. It’s very god, the men you put on earth to make guitar rock music for us are channeling 311 and Red Hot Chili Peppers and power pop into their hardcore to make something new and exciting and beautiful (amen).
Their latest album, COLD 2 THE TOUCH, is dynamic, propulsive, aggressive, tuneful, emotional, and sometimes (like in the case of “Man On Fire”) gorgeously viscous? (Sorry! sorry). But most of all, as I said in last week’s favorite music round-up letter (I can’t be reinventing descriptions every week babe she’s busy), violently alive. It is simply, as Tripp likes to proclaim from stage like Mustard claiming the beat, “rock and roll music.” The band has featured a rotating cast of members since its inception, including Tripp’s former Trapped Under Ice bandmate Brendan Yates and Daniel Fang, who both left to focus on Turnstile (speaking of - I know we’re only allowed to have one lauded guitar rock band at a time as per the law but I truly hope AD is next as they deserve it). The current line-up (guitarists Steve Marino and Jim Carroll, bassist Zechariah Ghostribe, and drummer Nick Lewis) is musically tight and aesthetically awesome (I like when bands dress cool okay sue me), and so fun to watch. I implore you to catch an Angel Du$t show when they come to your town - you will be converted forthwith.
Here is Justice’s Monday Mixtape:
Justice Tripp
Pisces
Baltimore, MDHow do you find/discover music?
My hardcore young heads and essentially living on the road and seeing live music all year round.
What was the first song you put on when you woke up this morning?
Aaron Neville - “The Grand Tour”
What song have you listened to more than once this past week?
Death Threat - “Dead at Birth”
What is a recent song you think everyone should know about?
Civic - “Gulls Way”
What’s a song that reminds you of where you come from?
Stout - “Block Watch”
A song off your workout playlist:
Merauder - “Master Killer”
What song can you do at karaoke without looking at the tv screens?
Misfits - “Bullet”
Song you associate with being 13 years old:
Nine Inch Nails - “The Perfect Drug”
What song do you listen to when you want a lobotomy?
Dying Fetus - “Subjected To A Beating”
What song do you use to indulge your wallowing?
Blaze Foley - “Clay Pigeons”
What song do you use to renew your spirit?
Stooges - “Gimme Danger”
What is your favorite cover song?
Terror - “Lowest of The Low” (ed note: this is on my gym playlist)
What song would you like to hear just before you die?
Santo and Johnny - “Sleepwalk”
Gotta say, I've heard Angel Du$t mentioned a couple of times recently and made a mental note without really learning anything else. And then I open this post and see that Angel Du$t is TUI lineage and I stopped everything, sat my toddler in front of the TV and put in my headphones. Yasi doing god's work once again. 🙏
More people should be listening to Civic.